March 20 in Music History: The Temptations release their debut album, T-Rex plays their final show

1948 – Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra are featured in the first televised symphonic concert.

1960 – Elvis Presley starts his first recordings since being discharged from the US Army. A 12 hour session in a Nashville recording studio produces his next #1 single, “Stuck On You.” Scotty Moore and Bill Black, who had quit Presley’s touring band in 1957, are in the studio with him for the last time.

1964 – The Temptations release their debut album Meet the Temptations on the Gordy (Motown) label. The lineup on the cover features Eddie Kendricks, Melvin Franklin, Paul Williams, Otis Williams, and newest Temptation Davis (later David) Ruffin. Ruffin had just joined the act three months before this album was released, and actually only appears on “The Way You Do The Things You Do.”

1969 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono marry in Gibraltar. They spend their honeymoon in Amsterdam campaigning for an international “Bed-In” for peace. The couple then goes to Montreal and records “Give Peace a Chance” during a “Bed-in” at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. They planned another “Bed-in” in the United States, but were denied entry.

1971 – Nearly six months after her death, Janis Joplin’s “Me And Bobby McGee” hits #1 in the US for the first of two weeks. It is her only Top 10 hit.

1977 – T-Rex play their final gig when they appear at The Locarno in Portsmouth, England.

1989 – After 37 years on the air, Dick Clark announces he will discontinue hosting his creation, ABC-TV’s highly influential American Bandstand.

1991 – Eric Clapton’s four year old son, Conor, falls to his death from the 53rd story of a New York City apartment after a housekeeper who was cleaning the room left a window open. The tragedy inspires his song “Tears in Heaven.”

1991 – It is announced that Michael Jackson and Sony had signed a contract that gave him an $18 million advance for the forthcoming album Dangerous. The contract also made Jackson the CEO of the newly formed Nation Records (which changed its name to MJJ). The deal was reported to be worth $1 billion, the largest in history.

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH

BROWSE ARCHIVES BY DATE

Related Posts

"It was the summer of 2009. With school, my childhood home, and my faith in religion quickly fading into the past, I felt myself plunging into the reality of 'real life,'" singer-songwriter Ben Hughes writes on his Bandcamp of his March album release. Earlier this year, the New Jersey-based musician (and member of of A…

Delaware indie rock favorites The Spinto Band just released a video for "Shake It Off," the single from its 2013 album Cool Cocoon. The footage for the video isn't anything special, but it's how the footage was used that makes this such a cool video. The screen is divided into several different sections, which sometimes…

It's been a year since Doylestown locals Heat Thunder covened from the ranks of their various bands (Commonwealth Choir, Former Belle and Our Griffins) and released their debut EP/film, Melody, Love & Soul. They're celebrating with a brand new single called "Solo World." Their first EP was a set of hazy and wandering folk: beautiful,…

Support The Key

What do you think?

Did you find what you were looking for? Was this page helpful?
Let us know

About The Key

Philadelphia: Home to a rich musical history, a unique musical identity, and one of the nation's most thriving musical communities. In a scene filled with so many local bands worth listening to, there will always be new music to discover—and The Key is your source for finding it. Brought to you by WXPN—the non-commercial public radio station that World Cafe, XPN2, and XPoNential Music Festival call home—The Key covers all local music in Greater Philly and beyond.GET IN TOUCH